. . . the rate of learning can be much faster in a pro-am situation than in an amateur partnership.

No, it cannot. Your statement is absolutely and demonstrably false.

In an amateur situation, especially at the beginning stages, its a case of the blind leading the blind (sic). Yes, they take lessons together, but when left to their own devices, they will probably struggle to apply what they learned.

Nothing is funnier than watching those who do pro/am as they discover that they can't actually dance with anyone but their pros.

There are MANY pro-am students that take their dancing very seriously and work just as hard as everyone else to improve.

No, there aren't and no, they don't. In fact, avoiding the hard work of learning to dance is one of the big selling points used to con amateurs into doing pro/am.

The central problem with pro/am is that the student has no partner, no one with whom to practice, no one to share the expense.

Also, in an am-am lesson, the professional is freed to watch the students from all angles. When the professional must also serve as a partner, the professional loses those perspectives.

Pro/am is appropriate for a very tiny percentage of the ballroom dancing public, typically the elderly for whom the prospects of an amateur partnership are nil. Everyone else is much better off with an amateur partner.

Need I remind anyone that it is those pro-ams that fuel the entire ballroom industry?

Only if you want to repeat another lie.

The truth is that the ballroom-dance industry has pushed many students into pro/am primarily by misrepresenting the nature of the ballroom dance world. When a professional tells an amateur that the amateur will be better off doing pro/am than by finding an amateur partner, the professional is lying.